science

Scientific Explorer's The Magic Science Wizard's Kit
$19.99
Most of what our family experienced was as listed in the more favorible reviews. A bit messy, but easy to prepare for that and a great time was had by all. Most of the objects included are common household products, but this simply makes them conveniently at hand and easy to refill by not hiding the ingredients as generic magic powders.
A down side is the experiments seemed to be a bit repetitive, but the kids didn't mind as it was all so facinating to them.

The real downside? The smoking fingers trick was missing. Our first thought was a mischevious child made the card vanish using newfound magical abilities, but after searching online this seems to be a problem others have been having recently as well (ref: review at Barnes and Nobles web site) we're pretty certain that parts are being left out. While we find it incredible that this educational toy was able to make learning fun, it would be nice if we could perform ten magical activities as advertised instead of the nine actually available. I have to question the true value of any object's educational value when the company sending said product cannot count to ten.

A side note, the caps were not all that difficult to get on the ends of the wand. It just takes a little twisting and shifting, finesse rather than force.

Scientific Explorer's Tasty Science Chemistry in the Kitchen Kit
$19.99
I bought this to use with my 7 year old son, and I had high hopes for this item based on other reviews and the price, however:

-The litmus paper for acid/base experiment do not work
-The recipe for the "soda" is not drinkable, in the least
-Powders for rock candy were supposed to be colored, but were not
-Materials are flimsy
-The booklet is merely instructions, no teaching of the "science" involved.

I haven't finished trying the other experiments and I am not sure I will.

You could look these "experiments" up yourself and do a much better job of rounding up the materials and educational information, with less stress and better results.

Magic School Bus Journey into the Human Body Science Kit
$19.99
I bought this for my son's friend who turned six this summer. He has always shown a strong interest in the human body and after much research this seemed like a super age-appropriate gift to encourage his love of the body. He has loved it. His parents called me to tell me thank you and asked where I got it so they could get him more of the kits from the Magic School Bus series. I bought the one of space for my son and he (and I) have equally loved it and learned a lot. I bought this gift almost 6 months ago and when I was at their house about 3 weeks ago, I noticed he had his poster of the human body (which was a lot larger than I expected it to be) hung up on his wall across from his bed. I would highly recommend this (and any Magic School Bus kit) for any budding young scientists.

Scientific Explorer's Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists
$19.99
My grandsons loved this science kit. It was the perfect solution for 2 rainy days.